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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Historic Yates Mill County Park

The centerpiece of this 574-acre historical and environmental park is Yates Mill - Wake County's last remaining gristmill.

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Located off of Lake Wheeler Road approximately five miles south of downtown Raleigh, Historic Yates Mill County Park features the only remaining gristmill in Wake County. Built in the 1750s, it has survived natural disasters, war and neglect. It is now fully restored an available to tour.

The park provides many opportunities for historical activities, environmental education and recreation. Its habitats include a pond, a creek, wetlands, and forests. It is a preserve for native wildlife with a “mission to study and interpret the cultural, natural, and agricultural heritage preserved in the park.”

“The Park facilities include the restored gristmill, a park center for education and research including two classrooms and an auditorium, and permanent exhibits on the site’s cultural and natural history. It supports several miles of hiking trails, pond and wetlands boardwalks, an outdoor classroom, an overlook deck, fixed dock, picnic tables, native landscaping, wildlife habitat enhancement features, and best management practice demonstration areas.”

“Park programs focus on the site’s ecology, cultural history, and agricultural heritage. Visitors can look forward to cane-pole fishing, guided canoe floats, seasonal natural history and agricultural programs, and tours of the fully operational gristmill. On the third weekend of each month through November, costumed interpreters will provide a look back into the mill’s history with guided tours of the restored mill and traditional water-powered corn-grinding demonstrations.”

The park is open 7 days a week from 8am to sunset. It is closed for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. The A.E. Finley Center for Education and Research is open 7 days per week, 361 days per year, 9:00am to 5:00pm. For information on the park’s programs, call (919) 856-6675.

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